“That sounds like bliss, but I’ll be okay. I think I’ve got a case of winteritis. As soon as the sun shines, I’ll be back to my usual bossy self. Did you look at the photos I sent you?”
Katie nodded. “We did. They’re amazing.”
“That’s because what we’re displaying is gorgeous. We were so lucky that each piece was in such good condition. I emailed Barbara the invitations for your family. Do you have them?”
Barbara nodded. “I’ve printed them and placed them inside our travel folder.”
Diana’s eyes widened. “We have a travel folder?”
“We have a folder for everything,” Katie said with a grin.
“I’m not that bad,” Barbara growled. “Especially compared to Penny.”
Chloe laughed. “You’re a woman after my own heart. Dad gave me a color-coded set of plastic folders with Post-Its and fluorescent highlighters for Christmas. I couldn’t have been happier.”
Katie opened a document on her cell phone and looked up at Chloe. “If anyone gave me a set of folders, I wouldn’t know what to do with them.”
Diana grinned. “You could donate them to Penny or Barbara.”
Barbara cleared her throat. “A woman can never have enough folders. Katie, did you have some questions you wanted to ask Chloe?”
“I do.” After tapping on her cell phone, she opened a list of the questions she’d thought of. “Is it okay to ask them now or do you want me to email them to you?”
“If there are only a few, ask me now.”
Barbara leaned sideways and looked at Katie’s phone. “Who’s more organized now?”
“Some of them are Mom’s questions.”
“Of course, they are,” Barbara said.
“It’s true. Here’s her first one. Can we take photos at the opening of the exhibition and post them on Facebook?”
Chloe nodded. “That’s more than okay. The only thing you won’t be able to do is take photos if you want to see the exhibition before opening night.”
Diana sat taller in the chair. “We can do that?”
“It’s all ready, so I don’t see why not. Either myself or someone in my team would have to go with you, but it can be arranged. I could even give you a behind-the-scenes tour of how we restore the furniture and other things that come into my department. When do you arrive in Washington, D.C.?”
“At 4pm on February 10.”
Chloe looked as though she was opening something on her computer. “I can spend a few hours with you on the afternoon of the 11thif you’d like to meet me at the Smithsonian?”
Katie looked at Barbara and Diana. They both seemed excited by the idea. “Book us in for whatever time suits you. I’ll check with the rest of our family to see if they want to come.”
With a nod, Chloe tapped something on her keyboard. “I’ve booked you in and you should have a meeting request waiting for you in your inboxes. All I’ll need is the final number of people who are coming before we meet. What’s next?”
After another ten minutes, Katie had the answers to the questions she needed. With their accommodation booked, sightseeing options identified, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Museum of American History organized, she couldn’t have been happier.
“If you have any other questions, let me know.”
“We will,” Barbara said before they ended the call. “We’ll see you soon.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
And with a push of a button, Barbara ended the call. “That was exciting.”
Diana closed the lid of the laptop and handed it to Barbara. “I hope my ankle is okay by then.”
